Page contents
- What is breast cancer?
- symptoms
- Causes and risk factors
- Multiples
- Diagnosis
- treatment
- protection
Breast cancer is a disease that specifically affects women, but it may also affect men, albeit in a much smaller percentage, as doctors have recently made great achievements in the fields of early detection and treatment of breast cancer to reduce the number of deaths from the disease.
Previously, detection of breast cancer meant removal of the entire breast. Today, these operations are performed only in rare cases, as there is a wide range of treatments available.
Tumor grading
Cancerous tumors are classified on a scale of 0-4IV (four), as follows:
Grade 0
Also called non-invasive or local breast cancer, although these tumors do not have the ability to invade healthy tissue in the breast or spread to other organs in the body, it is important to eradicate and remove them; Because they may turn into invasive tumors in the future.
Grades 1 - 4
They are invasive tumors that have the ability to invade healthy tissue in the breast and then spread to other organs in the body. Cancerous tumors in the first degree are small and local, and the chances of complete recovery from it are very great, but the higher the degree, the less chances of recovery.
Class 4
It is a cancerous tumor that has spread outside the breast tissue and spread to other parts of the body, such as: the lungs, bones, and liver, and although the cancer cannot be cured at this stage, there is a possibility that it will respond well to a variety of treatments that may cause shrinkage and diminishment. The tumor was kept under control for a long period of time.
Breast cancer symptoms
Awareness and vigilance of the early symptoms and signs of breast cancer can save your life. When the disease is detected in its early stages, the range of available treatments is wider and more diverse, and the chances of a full recovery are very high.
Most lumps found in the breast are not malignant, however, the most common early sign of breast cancer in both men and women is a lump or thickening of breast tissue. This lump is often painless.
Breast cancer symptoms include:
- Discharge of a clear or blood-like substance from the nipple, sometimes with the appearance of a tumor in the breast.
- Retraction or indentation of the nipple.
- Change in the size or features of the breast.
- Flattening or indentation of the skin covering the breast.
- Redness or wrinkled skin on the surface of the breast, like an orange peel.
Breast cancer causes and risk factors
Breast cancer means that a number of breast cells have begun to multiply abnormally. These cells are dividing more rapidly than healthy cells and can begin to spread throughout the breast tissue, into the lymph nodes and even other organs in the body.
The most common type of breast cancer begins in the milk-producing glands, but it can also start in a sub-lobe or other breast tissue. In most cases, it's not clear why healthy cells in breast tissue turn cancerous.
1. Causes of breast cancer
Doctors know the causes of the disease as follows:
genetics
Only 5-10% of breast cancer cases are due to genetic causes, there are families who have a defect in one or two genes, such as breast cancer gene No. 1 (BRCA 1) or breast cancer gene No. 2 (BRCA 2), and this is the probability of their children being exposed And her daughters, the risk of breast cancer or ovarian cancer is very high.
Other genetic defects
The ataxia-telangiectasia mutation gene and the tumor suppressor gene P53 all increase the risk of breast cancer. If one of these genetic defects runs in your family, there is a 50% chance that the defect will be present. You have it too.
Most of the genetic defects associated with breast cancer are not inherited.
These acquired defects may be due to radiation exposure. Women who have been treated with radiation to the chest area for fibroids in childhood or adolescence, or during breast growth and development, are more likely to develop breast cancer than women who have not been exposed to such radiation.
Genetic changes may also occur as a result of exposure to carcinogenic substances, such as: some hydrocarbons found in tobacco and charred red meat.
Today, researchers are trying to find out if there is any relationship between the genetic makeup of a particular person and the environmental factors that may increase the risk of developing breast cancer, and may prove that several factors may cause the emergence of breast cancer.
2. Breast cancer risk factors
A risk factor is anything that increases the odds of developing a particular disease. Some risk factors, such as age, gender and family history, cannot be changed while others, such as smoking or poor diet, can be controlled by humans.
However, even if you have one or more risk factors, it does not necessarily mean that you will get breast cancer, as the majority of women who have breast cancer get it just because they are women and they do not have any other additional risk factors.
As being a woman is the most important risk factor for breast cancer, although men are also at risk of developing breast cancer, it is much more common among women.
Other major risk factors that can increase the risk of breast cancer include:
- Age.
- A personal history of breast cancer.
- family history
- genetic tendency.
- exposure to radiation.
- Overweight.
- Menstruation at a relatively early age.
- Reaching menopause at a relatively late age.
- Hormone therapy.
- Take birth control pills.
- smoking.
- Precancerous changes in breast tissue.
- High density of breast tissue on mammography.
Age and the exact period of menopause may affect breast tissue density, as the density of breast tissue in young women is usually higher than in older women.
Hormones also have an effect on this. The higher the hormone levels, the higher the density of breast tissue. Despite this, the risk of developing breast cancer due to the higher density of breast tissue increases by only a small percentage.
If you're in one of the high-risk groups for breast cancer and your breast tissue density is high, it may be difficult to analyze the mammogram, and your doctor may recommend other screening tests.
Causes of non-malignant tumors in the breast
There are medical conditions other than breast cancer that can lead to a change in the size or texture of the breast. Breast tissue changes naturally during pregnancy and during menstruation.
Other possible causes of non-cancerous tumors in the breast include the following:
- Fibrocystic changes.
- Polycystic
- A fibroadenoma.
- Inflammation or injury.
Breast cancer complications
Complications include the following:
- Anatomical changes of the breast.
- Chronic pain.
- phantom breast pain
- and axillary web syndrome.
- Lymphedema.
- Fatigue and cognitive impairment.
Breast Cancer Diagnosis
If you notice a lump or any change in your breast even if the result of your last mammogram was normal, you should contact your doctor for an evaluation.
If you have not passed after menopause, it may be better to wait for one menstrual cycle before seeing a doctor, but if the changes in the breast do not disappear after a month, it is necessary to go to the doctor to evaluate the situation, and the most prominent methods of diagnosis include the following:
1. Photography
Looking for evidence of breast cancer before the first symptoms appear is key to early detection of breast cancer while it is still at a stage where it can be treated.
According to information about age and risk groups to which you may belong, mammography, or other examinations are done.
2. Breast self-exam
Breast self-examination is only one possibility and should be done on a regular basis starting from the age of 20, as your experience of breast self-examination and familiarity with your breast tissue and structure on a regular basis may enable you to detect early signs of breast cancer.
You should learn what your breasts usually look like and be alert for any change in feel or in the breast tissue. If you notice any changes, inform your doctor as soon as possible.
3. Breast examination in clinic
If you have a family member who has had breast cancer, or if you belong to one of the high-risk groups for breast cancer, it is recommended that you have an in-clinic breast exam once every three years until you reach the age of 40, and then once a year thereafter .
During this examination, the doctor checks the breast tissue to look for lumps or other changes in the breast. The doctor can detect lumps or changes that you were unable to notice, and he may also notice an increase in the size of the lymph nodes in the armpit area.
4. Mammography
Mammography, which examines breast tissue by producing X-ray images, is today the most reliable examination for early detection of cancerous lumps in the breast, even before the doctor can feel it by hand touching the breast; For this reason, it is recommended that all women over 40 years of age have this examination frequently.
There are two types of mammograms:
Scanning mammography.
Diagnostic mammography.
But radiographic examinations are not perfect, as there is a certain percentage of cancerous tumors and sometimes masses that can be felt on self-examination and do not appear on the X-ray image.
This percentage is higher among women who are in their forties; This is because women of this age and younger women are more likely to have a higher density of breast tissue, which makes it difficult to distinguish between healthy and abnormal tissue.
5. Other examinations
Other notable examinations include the following:
Computer assisted detection.
Digital mammogram.
Magnetic resonance imaging.
6. Diagnostic procedures
Diagnostic procedures help identify and characterize breast tissue abnormalities that are detected by routine examinations, such as finding a lump in the breast by palpation, or by mammography or magnetic resonance imaging.
These tests help your doctor decide if you need a biopsy (a medical procedure in which cells or tissue are taken as a sample for analysis and examination in a laboratory), and they help develop directions for how to perform a biopsy.
7. Ultrasound examination
This test is used to check whether the lumps that have been detected in the breast are solid or not.
8. Biopsy
It is the only test that can confirm the presence of cancerous cells. A biopsy is a test that can give us very vital information about any abnormal or abnormal changes in breast tissue, and help determine whether and what type of surgery is needed.
Types of biopsies that may be performed:
- Fine needle biopsy.
- Coreneedle biopsy
- Stereotactic biopsy.
- Surgical biopsy.
9. Estrogen and progesterone receptor testing
The presence of hormone receptors can be checked in cancer cells that were removed during a biopsy. If you find estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, or both, your doctor will advise you to take medications, such as Tamoxifen, which block estrogen from reaching these areas.
10. Staging check
Staging tests to determine the size and location of the cancerous tumor and whether the tumor has metastasized and spread to other places. The staging also helps plan treatment actions.
11. Genetic or genetic tests
If you have one or more hereditary cases of breast cancer in your family, blood tests will help detect the faulty gene or defects in other genes that are passed from one generation to the next in the family.
These tests often have inconclusive results and should only be carried out in special cases and after consultation with a genetic counselor. If you are not in the risk groups for breast cancer or ovarian cancer on a genetic background, genetic diagnostic testing is generally not necessary.
Genetic diagnosis can only be useful in most cases if the results of the screening will help you choose the best method for reducing your risk of cancer.
breast cancer treatment
Being told that you have been diagnosed with breast cancer is one of the most difficult experiences a person can face. In addition to facing a life-threatening illness, you have to make decisions about a treatment program that is not easy at all.
It is preferable to consult with the medical team about the available breast cancer treatment options, and it is preferable to obtain a second opinion from a specialist in breast cancer, and it is useful to talk with women who have had a similar experience.
Today, a variety of treatments are available for every stage of the disease. Most women undergo mastectomy in addition to chemotherapy, radiation or hormone therapy. There are also a variety of experimental treatments for this type of cancer.
The most important treatment methods include:
1. Surgery
Removing the whole mastectomy is a rare procedure today, instead most women are excellent candidates for the removal of the affected part of the breast, or for the removal of only the tumor.
If you decide to have a complete mastectomy, you may later consider an operation to rebuild the breast again. Surgical procedures to remove cancerous tumors in the breast include:
excision of the cancerous tumor
Surgical procedures to remove a cancerous tumor are always followed by radiation treatments, in order to destroy any cancer cells that may have remained in place.
Types of mastectomy surgeries include:
- Partial or sectional excision of the breast.
- Simple excision.
- Total mastectomy.
Sentinel lymph node biopsy
Since breast cancer primarily spreads to the lymph nodes in the armpit, all women diagnosed with invasive cancer should have these glands checked.
Excision of the axillary lymph nodes
If there are signs of a cancerous tumor in the sentinel glands, the surgeon must remove all the lymph nodes under the armpit.
Breast reconstruction and reconstruction surgery
If you would like to undergo a breast reconstruction surgery, talk to your surgeon before any surgery.
Not all women are suitable for breast reconstruction surgery. A plastic surgeon can advise on a variety of operations, show photographs of women who have undergone different breast reconstruction procedures, and you can consult with him to choose the type of operation that is most suitable for you and your situation.
Your options may include reconstruction with an artificial implant or a transplant of your own tissue, and these surgeries can be performed during a mastectomy or at a later time.
Types of breast reconstruction and reconstruction include:
- Artificial tissue implantation.
- Personal tissue fold.
- Deep inferior epigastric perforator - DIEP.
- Reconstruction of the nipple and areola area.
2. Radiation therapy
Today, many people who suffer from cancer are treated with radiation, some of them treat it only, while doctors go for others by combining it with other treatments such as chemotherapy.
The main goal of radiation therapy is to shrink tumors and kill cancer cells. While radiation can target healthy cells as well, it doesn't have to harm cancer cells, as healthy cells have the ability to revive themselves.
3. Chemotherapy
The effectiveness of chemotherapy in eliminating malignant tumors may outweigh both surgery and radiation, due to the ability of chemotherapy to reach all parts of the body and not just to specific places as in surgery or radiation.
Sometimes a cancer patient receives doses of chemotherapy to reduce the size of his tumor before surgery to remove it or before starting radiation therapy sessions.
Chemotherapy targets genes and protein materials, especially in cancer cells, destroying them and preventing the growth of new tumors, as well as preventing food from reaching them from the blood vessels.
4. Hormone therapy
In the case of hormone-sensitive cancer, hormone-blocking therapy may be given with medications, such as tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor.
This treatment stops the production of estrogen.
5. Biological therapy
As scientists and researchers gain more knowledge about the differences between healthy cells and cancer cells, targeted therapies are being developed to address these differences, with treatment taking place on a biological basis.
There are three types of biological treatments available to treat breast cancer, including:
- Trastuzumab
- Bevacizumab (Bevacizumab)
- Docetaxel
Breast cancer prevention
Nothing can guarantee that you will not get breast cancer, but there are several steps you can take to reduce your risk of developing breast cancer, including the following:
1. Prevention by chemical means
Prevention by chemical means means the use of drugs to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer, as there are two types of drugs used to prevent breast cancer in women who are more likely than others to develop breast cancer.
These medications belong to a class of drugs that selectively engage estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs).
- Tamoxifen
- Raloxifene
2. Surgery as a precaution
Although surgery is an extreme procedure, surgery as a preventive measure can reduce the risk of breast cancer in women at high risk of developing the disease.
Options include:
- Mastectomy as a preventive measure.
- Ovariectomy as a precaution.
3. Lifestyle changes
Taking some steps to change your lifestyle can be a significant factor in reducing your risk of developing breast cancer.
- Avoid drinking alcohol.
- Maintaining a healthy weight.
- Avoid long-term hormonal treatments.
- Do regular physical activity.
- Eat foods rich in dietary fibre.
- Excessive consumption of olive oil.
- Avoid exposure to insecticides.
4. Possible preventative treatments
Scientists continue to research in an effort to develop possible preventative treatments to prevent breast cancer, including:
- Retinoic acid.
- Flaxseeds.
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